In a few weeks, the Sundance Film Festival will choose a new host city.

The internationally renowned showcase for independent movies announced last year that it was looking for a new home starting in 2027. After cities across the country put their hat in the ring, the festival narrowed it down to three finalists: Salt Lake City, which would see the festival remain close to its current home of Park City; Cincinnati, Ohio; and our very own Boulder.

The notion of one of the most important film festivals in the world moving to Boulder is, quite frankly, thrilling — and it makes perfect sense. The spirit of the festival — which prioritizes independent films and up-and-coming filmmakers — feels part and parcel with the spirit of Boulder. It is not hard at all to imagine Boulderites packing theaters and rubbing shoulders with aspiring directors and Hollywood stars for the premiere of a future Oscar contender — it just feels natural.

That is why we are glad to see our lawmakers doing everything they can to incentivize the festival to make our city its new home.

Early this legislative session, HB25-1005 was introduced. Despite not mentioning Sundance by name, the Tax Incentive for Film Festivals bill is rather explicitly designed to lure the festival to Colorado. The bill, which was sponsored by Boulder’s Sen. Judy Amabile, looks to provide any film festival that draws more than 100,000 in-person ticket sales and 10,000 out-of-state visitors with $34 million in tax incentives.

At first glance, that is a lot of money to lure one festival to one medium-sized Colorado city. But Sundance would bring tens of millions in economic activity each and every year — and a whole lot more in cultural capital.

Last year the festival sold more than 140,000 in-person tickets during its 11-day run. The 73,000 visitors also spent over $100 million, generating a total economic impact of $132 million for the state of Utah, and nearly $14 million in state and local taxes.

In other words, if the festival came to Boulder, the festival would likely generate more than enough economic impact to offset the cost of the proposed tax incentives. In fact, lawmakers anticipate that the festival would generate roughly $55 million in taxes between 2027 and 2036, meaning the state would likely net nearly $16 million in taxes after factoring in the cost of the incentives.

To be clear, this is not a selfish position. We are not simply advocating on behalf of the city of Boulder. The size and scale of Sundance would mean the bounty would be shared throughout the Front Range. With tens of thousands of visitors from out of state likely to attend, people would undoubtedly wind up lodging in Longmont and Louisville and Broomfield and Denver and everywhere in between. The same is likely true of festival venues. Last year there were 639 in-person film screenings; theaters around the region would be called into action.

The same goes for jobs. The festival also generated more than 1,700 jobs for Utah residents who earned nearly $70 million.

If Sundance were to come to Boulder, the economic impact would be felt far and wide.

But Sundance has a lot more to offer than just money. Bringing one of cinema’s premier showcases into our community would undoubtedly benefit local artists. It would lift up Boulder’s cultural standing, likely generating opportunities for creatives and potentially helping to elevate the profile of our entire artistic community. Our creative scene is already thriving, but bringing Sundance to town would surely only add to our cultural riches.

One such local treasure is the Boulder International Film Festival, which celebrated its 20th anniversary last year (and which the Camera is a founding sponsor of). Some have expressed concerns that Sundance might overshadow BIFF to the point of making the smaller festival irrelevant. That would be tragic. If Sundance comes to Boulder, our hope is that the two festivals could be collaborative — that Sundance’s success could serve to bring more attention to BIFF.

Others are likely to view Sundance coming to Boulder with a bit more skepticism or apprehension. That is understandable. Such a festival will bring tens of thousands of visitors. It will bring cars and traffic. It will bring cameras and attention and noise. And some people simply might want to keep Boulder as is.

But the fact of the matter is, Sundance would be a boon for our city. The hubbub of the annual festival would last less than two weeks, but the investments in our community — in our arts and culture and our economy — would last all year.

We hope our lawmakers can pass HB25-1005. And we hope Boulder really is the favorite. This city is one of a kind. And Sundance would only make our special home even more special.

Gary Garrison for the Editorial Board